Places – Page 6 – 7th Level Music

Wrecka Stow: Culture Factory / Elvis My Happiness – Paris, France

I stumbled onto Paris’ Culture Factory / Elvis My Happiness wrecka stow while killing time before my wife and I left for the Levitation Music Festival in Angers, France. It’s at 27 Rue de L’Armorique and a must-see place if you’re a fan of Elvis Presley. The place is full of Elvis records, discs, and DVDs (and probably more stuff I didn’t notice). They have more than Elvis records, of course. This was the first rack I saw when I walked into the place.

That’s a bunch of limited edition CDs that feature sleeves and artwork that reproduce the album artwork. I snagged a copy of Iggy Pop‘s New Values from this rack.

Back to the Elvis stuff, however. Like I wrote above, it’s all over the place. Apart from what you see above that CD rack, this below is just a small sampling.

They had seemingly every televised or recorded live performance Presley ever released (and some might’ve been bootlegs). The owners are obviously massive fans and if they didn’t have the Elvis record you wanted, it probably doesn’t exist.

They have over vinyl there, of course. Here’s a small sample of their wares.

I had a fun conversation with the clerk who rang up my Iggy Pop CD. He asked, in French, if I wanted it gift wrapped. He finally understood that I didn’t speak French well. He asked if I were English (a common occurrence on the trip) and I told him, in French, that I was American and my French wasn’t good.

“That explains why you looked at me like I was the devil when I spoke French,” he said. He looked at the CD and said, “Iggy Pop…He is the devil.” and then told me about how he used to work at a Virgin Records mega-store in London a few years ago. Pop was doing a signing there and he was seated next to him when a woman came up to Pop and asked him if his (unknown to her) newest record was his first. The look on Pop’s face of disbelief was priceless and he simply said, “No, it’s not my first record.” He signed the album and then said, “That stupid bitch.” to the clerk as she walked away.

Keep your mind open.

Yes, that’s a “Star Wars” Porg picture disk 12″ single.

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Wrecka Stow: Superfly Records – Paris, France

Located at 53 Rue Notre Dame du Nazareth, Paris’ Superfly Records is the place to go in the City of Lights if you are looking for Afrobeat, jazz, Latin, soul, blues, and rare R&B.

The place is a vinyl lover’s dream. It’s full of rare and vintage reggae, bossa nova, soul, jazz, funk, and just plain weird stuff. The people who run the place obviously know their stuff and stock a lot of choice cuts.

That album above is a great example. It’s a rare LP from N’Draman Blintch called Cosmic Sound – a crazy, wild Afro-funk album about nuclear war, the return of Jesus Christ, and the general end of the world. I might have snagged it if I didn’t have to pack it for the trip back to the U.S. and worry about it breaking.

This is a can’t-miss wrecka stow if you visit Paris. You’ll find at least one thing you’ve never heard of before there.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Smallville – Paris, France

Located at 26 Rue du Chateau d’Eau, Paris’ Smallville Records is indeed a small place, but it’s a good stop for lovers of vinyl records if you’re visiting the city. Vinyl is far more popular than CD’s in Paris, it seems, and Smallville has plenty of records to spare.

It’s mostly modern artists, but you can find some good electronica, hip hop, and European rock there. The record at the top left of the second photo is Zombie Zombie‘s Livity, which I highly recommend.

You can listen before you buy, and their turntable covers clearly show how much they love vinyl.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Skully’z Recordz – New Orleans, LA

Located in the New Orleans’ famous French Quarter (907 Bourbon Street), Skully’z Recordz is one of those wrecka stows you could miss if you weren’t paying attention or stumbling around drunk, but is a music lover’s oasis from the Louisiana heat and / or intoxicated revelers.

It’s a small store, just one room, but they pack a lot of great stuff in it.

The Flaming Lips, Chvrches, Janelle Monae, the Soft Moon, Thievery Corporation, Ghost, and Parquet Courts all on the same rack.

I grabbed that Ladytron live CD (2nd rack down, 2nd in from the left) right after snapping this photo.

That’s some choice vinyl in the first picture. That soundtrack to Akira alone would be worth a trip if I were a vinyl collector. How about those racks of CD’s? This place has a lot of obscure, alternative, rare, and essential albums for sale, both old and new artists share shelf space. The stuff for sale here is curated with knowledge of music history and emerging new bands that are making quality sounds.

They have a good collection of music DVDs, too, as seen above. My cousin was stunned to see that DVD of rare Devo footage and videos.

The CD racks above look like they’re in a bigger store, don’t they? Trust me, this place isn’t much bigger than a living room, but it doesn’t feel cramped and it’s well-maintained. It’s not dingy or overflowing with dusty record bins either.

There’s also a great section of local artists and legendary New Orleans artists, too. Trust me, you need to find this store if you’re in the French Quarter. I will visit it anytime I’m in the city. Among the gems I scored there were CDs by Captain Beefheart, Ladytron, Television, Electric Wizard, and Ennio Morricone. It’s probably a good thing I don’t live in New Orleans, because I’d be at Skully’z every couple weeks spending money.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Encore Records – Austin, TX

Located at 809 East 6th Street in Austin, Texas, Encore Records is heaven for lovers of metal, hip hop, rock, and horror. One of the best things about this store is that you’re often greeted by this chap as soon as you enter the place.

He gets a peanut butter snack when he greets customers.

The place is full of cool vinyl and plenty of obscure CDs.

It’s a bit cavernous, which lends to the atmosphere if you a metal fan. They also have plenty of horror-themed T-shirts for sale, like this gem.

Yep, that’s a Tomb of the Blind Dead T-shirt hanging above a bunch of jazz records. How cool is that? Or this?

You can wander around in this place for an hour before you realize the time has gone. I scored a copy of Pink Floyd‘s The Piper at the Gates of Dawn there. I held off on the Tomb of the Blind Dead shirt, but there’s always next year.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Ignition Music Garage – Goshen, IN

Located inside an old auto mechanic / brake specialist garage, Goshen, Indiana’s Ignition Music Garage (120 East Washington Street) is the best place for vinyl and used music in the area, and better than many other stores in larger, nearby cities like South Bend or Mishawaka.

First, they have a radio station in there.

It’s a remote studio for Goshen College’s station 91.1 the Globe. The Globe has won multiple awards for college radio quality and Goshen College students are often frequenting Ignition for record sales, live music (on a small stage there), or coffee at the attached place next door.

There’s plenty of music, of course.

I happened to go there on Record Store Day this year, so there were plenty of RSD special items on sale.

Record Store Day is always a bit odd for me because I don’t collect vinyl. I can’t go down that road because I know I’ll never stop and our house is full of enough stuff already. Still, that Autopsy score by Ennio Morricone and the Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock record were tempting. I’m that guy who goes to RSD and buys CDs.

I scored the Clash‘s Sandinista!. Julian Cope‘s Saint Julian (my cassette of that wore out years ago), Caroline Rose‘s I Will Not Be Afraid, and ZZ Top‘sEliminator (which I haven’t owned since I was in middle school). Oddly enough, I still haven’t listened to the Caroline Rose or ZZ Top albums.

Ignition sells music systems as well. They have turntables and Sonos systems. My wife bought me two Sonos speakers after hearing their good sound quality at Ignition.

There’s plenty to browse at Ignition, and the coffee shop next door isn’t too shabby either. If you’re not sure what to get at Ignition, I suggest you start here.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Hurricane Records – Tucson, AZ

While strolling through the Tucson, Arizona 4th Avenue Street Fair, I was delighted to find a new wrecka stow that was so fresh that it looked like the paint on the sign had barely dried. Hurricane Records (636 North 4th Avenue) had bins of records outside for sale during the street fair, and plenty of vinyl inside.

The selection there at the time was mostly classic rock, jazz, soul, and interesting soundtracks (note the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack record above).

Check out that sweet Blondie debut album.

There was also this little lounge area where I imagine DJ’s and small bands will play in the near future.

There were CD’s, too. Most of the discs were in box sets, and I scored a Steely Dan four-disc set for just twenty bucks. Unfortunately, the first two discs skip near the end of each, but I think I can buff out those scratches.

The Steely Dan box set I scored is the green box in the middle of the bottom shelf. And yes, that’s a copy of “Pet Sounds” on vinyl on the top shelf.

All in all, Hurricane Records seems to be on the right track to being a good place to score vinyl and promote the local art scene. 4th Avenue is a big art community in Tucson and a wrecka stow is a welcome addition there.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Play De Record – Toronto, Ontario

Toronto, Ontario’s Play De Record (411 Spadina Avenue) is a haven for vinyl enthusiasts. The place is packed with records for you to feast your eyes (and wallet) on as soon as you walk in the door.

This is all in the first room, by the way (and only a small sample of what was available there). Once you get done browsing all the new arrivals and reissues, you end up here.

Yes, more records await you. Most of them in this back room are, as the sign says, vintage vinyl.

You also might’ve noticed that sign mentions “studio gear.” They sold a lot of good stuff there. These wonderful toys were along the right wall as soon as you walked into the store.

I could’ve fiddled with that stuff until they closed if they’d let me. This wrecka stow is on the edge of Toronto’s Chinatown, so you can get some good food and then buy a bunch of vinyl. It’s a win-win.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: Paramusic – Toronto, ON

Toronto, Ontario’s Paramusic (68 Dundas Street East) is a nice wrecka stow gem just down the street from a huge shopping center and wroth the stroll from the tourist trap mall to score some fine vinyl, DVDs, and CDs. They pack a lot of stuff into a small space. I mean, you walk in and see this.

The number of Blu-Ray DVDs there is impressive for the size of the place. The CDs are stacked seeming in every corner, and there is vinyl everywhere else. Hardcore record collectors came and went while I was there. One of them was such a frequent customer that he showed up to invite the store’s owner to his wedding.

The loft section had even more sweet vinyl and CDs in it.

A word of warning – The stairs are narrower than you think. I nearly down them coming back to the main floor. I walked out with CDs by the Besnard Lakes and Friendly Fires. I had grabbed a mix CD by Dmitri from Paris, but unfortunately someone had removed the bin label number sticker from it. The owner couldn’t find the disc because he had no idea where to begin looking for it.

Again, don’t miss this store if you’re in the neighborhood. The sight of so many regulars showing up is a good sign for rare finds and good deals.

Keep your mind open.

Wrecka Stow: Zia Record Exchange – Tucson, AZ

Tucson’s Zia Record Exchange is a fun place full of CD’s, DVD’s, toys, games, and a bunch of other stuff I probably missed. They cram a lot into a small space at 3370 East Speedway Boulevard.

The number of CD’s alone was a bit staggering. I had limited time there, so I didn’t get to browse as long as I would’ve liked. Don’t worry, vinyl lovers, they had plenty of records, too.

All in all, a fun place. I picked up a used CD copy of Neko Case’s Fox Confessor Brings the Flood for only eights bucks (review coming soon). It’s located in a shopping center with a great bookstore and a great bakery in it, so it’s worth a side trip if you’re in Tucson.

Keep your mind open.

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